title: Serologic surveillance of anthrax in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania, 1996-2009.
abstract: Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax, is responsible for varying death rates among animal species. Difficulties in case detection, hazardous or inaccessible carcasses, and misdiagnosis hinder surveillance. Using case reports and a new serologic assay that enables multispecies comparisons, we examined exposure to and illness caused by B. anthracis in different species in the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania during 1996-2009 and the utility of serosurveillance. High seroprevalence among carnivores suggested regular nonfatal exposure. Seropositive wildebeest and buffalo showed that infection was not invariably fatal among herbivores, whereas absence of seropositivity in zebras and frequent detection of fatal cases indicated high susceptibility. Exposure patterns in dogs reflected known patterns of endemicity and provided new information about anthrax in the ecosystem, which indicated the potential of dogs as indicator species. Serosurveillance is a valuable tool for monitoring and detecting anthrax and may shed light on mechanisms responsible for species-specific variability in exposure, susceptibility, and mortality rates.
authors.affiliation: University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland.
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lembo
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hampson
authors.forename: Harriet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Auty
authors.forename: Cari A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Beesley
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bessell
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Packer
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Halliday
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fyumagwa
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hoare
authors.forename: Eblate
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ernest
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mentzel
authors.forename: Titus
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mlengeya
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stamey
authors.forename: Patricia P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Wilkins
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cleaveland
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology*; D000881:Anthrax / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000276:immunology*; D002335:Carnivora / Q000382:microbiology; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004285:Dogs; D017753:Ecosystem; D018397:Equidae / Q000382:microbiology; D012418:Ruminants / Q000382:microbiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology